With its atmospheric Cornish
locations and all-star cast, The Uninvited is a highly
effective and spine-tingling ghost story in the classic
Hollywood tradition. Seeking respite from the bustle of
London life, writer Roderick Fitzgerald (Ray Milland,
Dial M for Murder and
The Lost Weekend) and his sister Pamela (Ruth
Hussey,
The Philadelphia Story) move into a neglected
clifftop mansion and set about making it their home.
However, it isn't long before an unnerving presence
makes itself felt: an eerie chill lingers in the rooms
and distant wailing is heard at night. Despite
Roderick's cynicism, it becomes increasingly clear that
the house is haunted - but why in such a snug haven
would the dead trouble the living? Martin Scorsese and
various critics, including William K. Everson and
Leonard Maltin, regard The Uninvited as one of
the best ghost stories ever filmed.

NOTE: These
Blu-ray captures were
taken directly from the
Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
(September 2013): The new 1080P from Criterion is wonderful. It is thick
with grain and none of the artifacts or damage marks of the UK SD.
The film is filled with darkness and shadows but the
Blu-ray shows no noise or distracting
flaws. The contrast is adept. Hard to believe The Uninvited
is almost 70-years old. The higher resolution wins easily over the
DVD with more detail on the brighter visuals. There are no
noticeable speckles and the image quality is consistent throughout.

We are treated to an excellent visual essay entitled "Giving Up the
Ghost" by filmmaker Michael Almereyda. It covers many
interesting points regarding the film and runs almost 1/2 hour. It
was produced by Criterion in 2013. Included are two radio
adaptations, from 1944 - the screen guild theater (29:25) and the
SCreen Director's Playhouse from November 1949 (29:50), both
starring Ray Milland. There is a trailer and the package contains
liner notes booklet featuring an essay by critic Farran Smith Nehme
and a 1997 interview with director Lewis Allen.

While I wouldn't say this has an abundance of Noir markers -
but it is still such an enjoyable mystery/horror - almost reminding
me of premium Hitchcock. It unravels with a complex and intriguing
story - I am very pleased with Criterion's package and we thoroughly
recommend! This was a great choice for Criterion to obtain from
Universal (their logo starts the presentation). Thumbs skyward!

The
Uninvited is yet to get its region 1 release, but
UK's Exposure Cinema after doing a great job with their
Fritz Lang releases, decided to tackle this title.
First, the bad news. This is a pretty poor, but
progressive transfer from an old master. There is some
damage, marks on a print, including cue marks, and
excessive grain in some, mostly nighttime, scenes - and
there are a lot of those in this film.

The PAL
transfer is presented on a dual-layered disc that has
some thoughtful and welcome extras. There are two radio
adaptations, from 1944 and 1949 - the later even
includes a short chatter with Lewis Allen and Ray
Milland. A gallery and theatrical trailer are included
as well as a 24-page booklet with some nice essays about
the film and biographies. The disc also includes
optional English subtitles, a nice addition considering
none of the made-on-demand or Turner Classic's region 1
releases include them. Until a new HD master is done for
this excellent film, the Exposure Cinema DVD is all we
have and they should be complemented for their release
despite the poor transfer provided by Universal.